Noontime Sports the Podcast returned to the air – well, technically the recorder – Thursday evening as host Matt Noonan caught up with Adam Turer, an editor at D3Football.com, as well as the Around the Nation Columnist, too.

Turer and Noonan discussed the final week, including some non-New England teams, as well as discussed covering the national scene – this is the first-year Turer has been the Around the Nation Columnists after spending the past four seasons writing Around the Mid-Atlantic.

For the second time this football season, Noontime Sports is pleased to announce our Team of the Month (October): Salve Regina University.

Currently 7-0 overall and 5-0 in New England Football Conference (NEFC) play, the Seahawks capped the month of October with a convincing road win over Endicott College this past weekend, winning by a score of 41-20. Quarterback Brandon Basil tossed two touchdowns in the win, halfback Sam Pascale rushed for three scores on 29 carries for 178 yards, while the defense registered one sack, one interception and four tackles for a loss.

Prior to their victory against the Gulls, Salve Regina earned wins over Curry College, Nichols College and MIT.

The Seahawks currently lead the NEFC in rushing yards (2,050) and yards per game (510.6) – they are second in total offense (3,574). Pascale and tailback James Dawson rank first (158.7) and second (97.4), respectively, in yards per game, while Basil is fourth in yards per game (216.0) and tied for fourth with 14 touchdowns (through the air).

Brandon O’Neill and John Salute are currently tied for first in the conference with three sacks – Endicott’s Craig Anderson has also registered a trio of sacks this season too.

The Seahawks return to the gridiron this weekend for an extremely important conference game as they host Western New England for a 12 p.m. kickoff. Similar to Salve Regina, the Golden Bears are undefeated.

Last season, the Golden Bears defeated the Seahawks, 28-21, to secure the NEFC crown. The Seahawks’ last victory over the Golden Bears came in 2013, thanks to a trio of touchdown passes from quarterback Steve Wilken and a pair of rushing scores by halfback Richie Edwards.

It’s a big week for the Endicott College football team as the Gulls host undefeated Western New England tomorrow (Saturday, October 22) in a pivotal New England Football Conference (NEFC) clash.

“We will be playing a very good Western New England team this Saturday,” said Endicott head coach Kevin DeWall.

“Both teams are currently undefeated in conference play, so both teams have goals and aspirations of winning our conference and advancing to the NCAA Playoffs.”

Endicott enters the contest on three-game winning streak following a pair of road wins, including a victory last weekend at Maine Maritime Academy. Quarterback Joe Kalosky highlighted his team’s performance, tossing a career-best three touchdowns, while Lavante Wiggins rumbled for 65 yards on 11 carries and one score.

In addition to their win over the Mariners, Endicott also earned a pair of conference victories against Nichols College (37-0) and MIT (21-9).

“We have made some very good progress since day one, so the 3-0 start in conference play is exciting,” said DeWall. “It is also the standard and expectation we have set for our program. We know we have many areas that we still need to improve on, and the guys are eager to grow and develop together.”

Growth and development have been the keys to Endicott’s success this season, and despite losing a trio of non-conference games last month, DeWall believes those contests will help the Gulls remain competitive over the next few weeks.

“We did not fair as we wanted the past two years with a handful of young players in these non-conference games,” DeWall said, “but the experience has been great for our team.”

In addition to growth and development, DeWall has also seen numerous players – both upperclassmen and first-years – step-up when needed.

“There are many players who have stepped up their game (over) the last few weeks; too many to truly name,” said DeWall.

“The upperclassmen are now becoming more comfortable in their second year of our offensive and defensive schemes, and our first year players have had half a season to digest everything, and you can physically see them improve with each rep and each week of game experience.”

With players stepping up, while the team continues to grow and develop, you can bet DeWall’s crew will provide challenges, not just for Western New England, but their remaining conference foes.

“Here in our second year with this coaching staff taking over this program, we continue to teach the guys what it takes to improve and win each day, and there has been steady improvement throughout,” said DeWall.

“If our team has continues to grow and develop, we anticipate it will be an exciting game between two good teams (on Saturday).”

PAXTON, Mass. – It sounds cliché, but Coast Guard Academy senior quarterback Derek Victory was the key to the Bears’ initial win of the season.

Victory tossed a trio of touchdowns, including a pair in the opening half, while rushing for two more scores in the second half as Coast Guard captured its first game of the season, defeating Anna Maria College on Thursday evening by a score of 34-0.

The Bears, which led by two scores (13-0) at the break, pushed ahead for good midway through the third quarter when Victory capped an 11-play, 77 yard drive with a seven-yard plunge on critical fourth down.

“Yeah, that was definitely momentum,” said Victory of his team’s opening drive of the second half. “We came out in the second half saying if we scored right here, we (would) have them where we wanted them.”

Coast Guard’s next drive also ended with a touchdown as Victory connected on a beautifully thrown pass over the middle to junior wide-out Darius Adams, who leaped in-between two defenders to corral the pass.

Said Victory of his third touchdown, “I was worried that I overthrew him, but then I saw him jump up at the end. It was (a nice catch), but when I am able to take five steps and just sling it like that, that’s the guy’s up front too.”

Victory’s final touchdown came early in the fourth when he capped a six-play, 49-yard drive with a one-yard plunge to the right side. That was Victory’s final play of the evening as he concluded the game 28-of-44 for 354 yards.

As noted in the school’s press release following the game, Victory became the program’s first-ever quarterback to eclipse the 5,000 passing yard mark. Victory is also the Bears’ all-time leading passer in program history with 5,220 passing yards.

“Derek is about as spot on as he can be, but that’s what you hope for in a quarterback who is a senior,” Coast Guard head coach Bill George said of his team’s signal-caller.